The Story of Cards
by XxAChan
Summary: Arthur was a starving writer looking for a job until his world began to change. Human!Arthur/Cardverse AU - Might contain USUK later on.
1. Chapter 1  Pocket Watch

**I'm not sure what got me to right this. I've had the idea in my head for a good few weeks now so I was just like, "Screw it, I have to write this.." So while I'm taking a bit of a break from Ask The Hero And The Gentleman, here's a little ( I shouldn't say little. ) story. :3**

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><p>When I was younger, my Mother would tell me stories every night. My favorite ones were the ones that she made up on spot. The last story she told me was about kingdoms based off of playing cards. Every suit had its' own monarchy and different characteristics and they would have wars just like any other world. For instance, the Kingdom of Clubs would try and conquer the Kingdom of Diamonds with the help of the Kingdom of Hearts, who only sided with the Kingdom of Clubs because the King of Diamonds harassed the Jack of Hearts.<p>

My Mother always had the best stories to flow with these Kingdoms. But I didn't care for them; the only one that struck me as interesting was the Kingdom of Spades. It was the smallest kingdom and was stuck right in the middle of the other three. When the continent first divided into separate kingdoms, the other kingdoms tried their hardest to conquer Spades, but they all failed. From that point on, no one ever bothered with the Kingdom and they stayed neutral throughout most wars.

When my Mother finished the story, I told her that one day, I'd be the ruler of a kingdom just like Spades. I remember she pulled me down into a weak but warm hug and mumbled into my hair. "You can do whatever you want, Arthur. You're a smart boy, you'll be able to do what you want and do it perfectly." She kissed the top of my head and smiled into my hair. "I'll always be with you, no matter what you decide to do. You'll never do any wrong in my eyes, love." I laid there with her, my head tucked under her chin, for a good few minutes until I felt her arms go limp. I pulled away and stared at her body in disbelief until the doctors came in and forced me out of the room.

It's been ten years since the day and I'm now twenty one. I just moved out of my family home and moved to London to try and get a job at one of the top book publishing branches. I actually probably shouldn't say I just moved here. I've been living here in London for a few months now with no luck and barely surviving. The book publishing branch I applied to still hasn't said anything to me since I put in my application and now I'm forced to find another job so I can at least feed myself and afford rent.

I sighed and laid my job application on the table. Who the hell can't get a job at a restaurant? According to them, I'm a danger and people would be killed even if I was just a waiter. I sat down and rubbed my face roughly. I let out an exasperated sigh and I felt a hand touch my shoulder. I jumped in my seat and yelled. I looked at my shoulder and nothing was there, but it still felt as though there was a hand there. I continued to look up and there was still nothing. I'm not crazy, right? Sure, when I was younger I would say I saw faeries and all that, but I just had a vivid imagination.

I scooted over in my chair and the feeling disappeared. It really must have just been a random warm spot. It had to have been. I, Arthur Kirkland, am not crazy nor am I slowly losing my mind. A sigh of relief escaped my lips and I picked up the application. Looking over it once again, I still couldn't understand why they didn't hire me. I've had the most pristine jobs and I actually held onto them for a decent amount of time. I'm also a bloody fantastic cook. Or that's what people have led me to believe. Everyone who has tried my food has told me how fantastic it was. Like really, I would turn around for a second and everyone would have cleaned their plates! I wonder how often that happens for their chefs.

Well, not my fault that they're going to miss out on the best cooking they've ever had. I leaned over and placed a scone in my mouth and continued to read over my job application. When I finished reading the application, I got up from the table and headed to my room. There's no point in just sitting here wasting my day reading my job application. I'm going to get a bloody job, even if I have to settle with delivering news papers like I did back in my old town. I threw on my best suit and coat, grabbed my umbrella, and heading out onto the streets of London.

It actually seemed like one of those rare days where we might not get any rain, but I didn't want to risk a surprise shower coming out of nowhere and getting soaked. Or worse than that, sick. When I get sick, by god I get sick. I grimaced as I walked up to the corner, shoving my hands into my coat pocket. It amazes me that it could be so cold in one place without a single drop of snow. I watched for the sign that I could begin walking just like the others who were stood at the corner. I checked the time and while doing so, the warm feeling from earlier returned.

I shivered and looked around me, the people who were stood at the corner kept a good few feet away from me and the warmth was still strong on my shoulder. _What the hell_.. _Could it just be nerves or something_?_ It has to be, right_? I nodded to myself and started walking to the opposite street, ignoring the people in their cars that were either yelling or honking at me to get out of the road.

The warm feeling continued to follow me as I made my way down the street. I passed multiple shops that I was planning on stopping in while trying to escape the warm feeling on my shoulder. This was just getting more and more strange. I turned around the corner and the warm feeling disappeared, leaving me in front of a hobby shop. "I can't believe I'm following a warm spot." I ran my hand through my hair and opened the door to the hobby shop, kicking my feet on the placemat that sat in front of the door.

The store owner greeted me with a warm smile and I waved. The warm spot had returned and I walked around the shop till it disappeared again. I passed by some American Fighter Plane models and some books on magic. This was a bit of a unique shop; they even had guides on catching magical creatures. I made a mental note to stop back here during my free time. While I did so, the warmth left my shoulder and I looked around me. The stand next to me was filled with playing cards that were imprinted with the spades logo on the front.

_Whatever this is wants me to find bloody playing cards?_ I furrowed my brows and picked up one of the desks. This is just getting stranger by the minute. What the bloody hell did it want me to do with playing cards? More importantly, why am I acting like this bloody thing is a _thing_? The shop owner made his way over to me, smiling. "Those cards were imported here from China, aru. They're really nice, are they not?"

Aru, what the hell? I smiled and nodded at the shop keeper, who was staring at my eyebrows, rather than my eyes. "I suppose they are nice," I held the pack up close to my face; "These are normal playing cards, right?" I slightly furrowed my brows and the shop keeper grimaced when I did so. "They're normal cards, why wouldn't they be?" The Chinese man tilted his head questioningly and I laughed nervously. "No reason, I just saw the magic books and all that over there, so I was hoping these weren't cursed or anything"

"I see, well, there's no reason to worry, they are not cursed. Now will you be buying those cards, aru?" I nodded and handed the cards over to him. We made our way over to the check out counter and he hurriedly scanned the cards and tossed them in the bag. I handed him over the money and we said our goodbyes. I made my way out of the shop and sighed. Now I'm buying things according to a warm spot on my shoulder. I wonder how many therapists there are in London and what the chances of them seeing me were.

I looked around outside and I could not recognize the street I was on. The streets were bloody empty and it felt like I was the only person for miles. I looked back into the shop and it looked as though the owner had vanished in thin air. "What the bloody hell is going on here?" I bit my lower lip and began walking down the street. None of this was making sense. London was the biggest city in the European Union, there was no bloody way that there would be a street with just one person on it.

I was cursing everything in sight and especially those cards. Something didn't feel right about any of this and I needed something or someone to blame. I kicked a can that was set on the sidewalk and continued my way down the street that looked like it would never come to an end. Times like this, I wish I could afford a cell phone. I'd be phoning a taxi and then a psychiatrist.

I paused and looked at my reflection in one of the shop windows. I lifted my free hand and traced my reflection. "What the bloody hell happened to me? Why can't I get anything right here? Now I'm losing my mind!" I sighed and banged my head against the storefront. "Mother, can you help me out here? I'm at a complete lost here, literally." I felt something wet run down my face and I quickly wiped it away with my sleeve.

When I composed myself, I looked back up at the shop window to see a young blonde boy watching me from across the street. He wore a hat that looked as though it was covering up cat ears and he had what looked like a devil's tail. I quickly turned around and he smiled at me. "Hello!" He chimed and waved to me. I blinked a couple of times and waved back at him. The boy skipped on over to me, his 'tail' swung from side to side with every step he took.

I leaned against the storefront behind me as he came closer, standing up on his tip toes. He got as close as he could to me and began examining me. Does he not understand what personal space is? I cleared my throat and looked away from him, which seemed to have only aggravated the boy. He furrowed his brows and pouted at me. "You're not nice, are you?" He asked, tilting his head. I raised an eyebrow, "What do you mean I'm not nice? You're the one making this whole situation bloody awkward." He giggled and turned back around to face the way he came, his tail still swinging from side to side. "I want you to open that bag of yours later!"

"Later? Why?" I questioned and the boy only nodded his head. "I'll only tell you this once, Mr. Kirkland! Say goodbye to everyone you know and when the clock hits midnight, set your new possession to four thirty-two ten." The boy walked forward, lifting his feet up rather high as he walked and waved to me. "Wait, what new possession?" I yelled to him but he continued to walk and he began to fade. Wait, he was fading? What the hell was going on here?

I shut my eyes for a second and it felt as though I was spinning. When I opened my eyes again, I was back on the street corner surrounded by people, the bag still in my hand. I looked down at the clock to see that it hadn't changed since I was standing at this corner. When the sign changed and gave the okay to walk, I charged down the street and turned around the corner and started walking to where the hobby shop stood.

When I made it to the location, it wasn't there anymore. The shop was boarded up and spray paint covered almost every inch of it. Did I imagine the whole thing? I planted my hand against my forehead and I looked down at the bag. If I imagined it though, how did I manage to get this bag? I shook the bag bit and something inside of it sounded like chains smacking against each other. I quirked an eyebrow and opened the bag. What was in there was not a deck of cards, but a pocket watch shaped like a spade.

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><p>It was 11:30PM now and I was sat on my bed, watching the clock. I already said my goodbyes like the boy told me to. Something's going on and I'm determined to figure out what it is. The spade pocket watch sat in front of me, untouched. I folded my hands together and rested my head on them, staring down at the pocket watch. Would it hurt to touch it before midnight?<p>

I shrugged and poked the watch. I waited a few minutes, thinking the world was going to explode. But when it didn't explode, I went ahead and picked up the bloody thing. I fidgeted around with the clasp of the pocket watch until it opened up. The inside was absolutely beautiful. The part that showed the time was lined with gold and the rest was a deep blue. I traced the trim with my pointer and I couldn't help but smile. How could something as simple as a pocket watch be this amazing?

My eyes trailed over to check the clock; the time was now 11:45PM. Fifteen more minutes and something was going to happen, according to that boy, anyways. Now, what were those numbers he mentioned? Four, Thirty-two, and ten, right? I nodded and poked one of the arms on the clock. The boy was hopefully going in order from hour, minutes, and then seconds. This should be simple. I smiled to myself, hopefully with this, things will get better. I went back to examining the rest of the pocket watch and there was something inscribed on the opposite side.

_Property of Prince Jones of Spades _was written neatly at the bottom. "Prince Jones of Spades?" I tilted my head, inspecting the writing more carefully. "Why the bloody hell does that sound so familiar?" I bit my bottom lip; hopefully all of this will make sense soon. I looked back at the clock and it was time. The clock struck twelve and I turned my attention back to the side of the pocket watch that showed the time.

I spun the arms around until it showed the time as 4:32:10 and the clock began to spin rapidly. I watched in amazement as everything became disoriented like one of Dali's paintings. I continued to sit there and watch as the world I knew melted around me and began to take a new shape. Until, of course, something flew and hit the back of my head, knocking me out cold.

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><p><strong>Thank you everyone for reading! I hope you all enjoyed it, I know I'm not the best of writers but xD it was fun. I promise the next chapter is going to contain more Alfred and .. Probably make more sense. xD Please review and I love you all! Ciao 8D!<strong>


	2. Chapter 2 Dress

I had the most interesting dream. I was sat on my bed, watching the world around me melt. The room that I had grown so familiar with had been dyed with all different hues of blue and red, slowly but surely mixing into each other. Soon, that world had gone a complete black and I felt as though I was floating. I felt safe, like I was a child being cradled by their mother. After a while, the safe feeling began to disappear and I felt as though I was falling. The darkness filled with laughter and I crashed into the ground, groaning.

The laughter calmed down and I slowly began to open my eyes. I guess it wasn't much of a dream, being that I was lying in the grass and my body ached. I felt around and squeezed at a few pieces of grass until I felt something covered in feathers. I gave it a poke and in response, it stabbed me with something that was small and sharp. "Mein gott, you're actually alive." A man with a heavy (is that German?) accent cheered. With my vision slightly blurred, I could see a man hunched over watching me and a small yellow bird flew to sit on his head. He had what looked like horns coming out of his head and bright red eyes.

The man tilted his head and smiled at me, "Checkin' out my awesome horns or my bird?" He continued to smile and pointed to the top of his head. I rolled my eyes and my head leaned to the side. It felt like I had something weighing my head down and I groaned again. The man let out a rather disgusting laugh that sounded as though he was laughing, coughing, and sneezing at the same bloody time. "Who the hell are you and why am I here?" I hissed and the man patted my back.

I shrugged him away and he jumped back, a tail similar to the boy from before swung from side to side. I'm guessing he was acting like an animal and using the tail to gain balance. "No need to be so harsh, you'll ruin the awesome dress I gave you!" He raised his arms over his head like he was surrendering and I raised a brow. "What, you can't tell the difference?" He slightly laughed and pointed down at my outfit. My eyes followed his hand and I was wearing a light blue dress and an apron similar to that of Alice's from Alice in Wonderland. Except mine had an odd collection of patchwork sewn on and a small spade at the bottom right-hand corner.

I really hope this is a dream. Maybe I fell out of my bed and hit my head on something causing me to fall back asleep. Yeah, that has to be it. I slowly lifted my hands up to the top of my head and I felt two rather large clip-in extensions at the sides of my head. "Bloody hell did you do to me, you freak?" I glared at him and all he did was let out that disgusting laugh. "You wanted to give this back to the Prince, right?" His smile turned more devilish and he pulled the spade pocket watch from his jacket, his tail moving from side to side. I grumbled and he threw the pocket watch at me. "I figured if I dressed ya up like that, you'd have an easier time getting into the castle."

I caught the pocket watch and examined it. I really don't feel comfortable having this bloody thing in my possession and there was nothing right about this man and that little boy from before. Bloody hell, this one has _horns_ coming from his head. I lifted my head up to look back at him, and it was like he vanished into thin air. Great, now I'm stuck here in the middle of god knows where dressed like a bloody woman and what seems to be a stolen pocket watch. I let out an exasperated sigh and stood up, dusting the dress off. There was a note and a pair of glasses nailed to a tree and I carefully walked over, stumbling in the new shoes. How the hell do women wear these blasted shoes? I clung onto the tree when I got to it and I grabbed the pair of glasses that hung from the nail and read the paper.

"_I thought you might need these. This world is different from yours, as you'll soon learn. Your vision might be messed for a few days, and I'd wear these anyways to separate the you from your world and the you in this world. _

_ With love from the AWESOME Joker and Jobird."_

This guy has some serious issues, who calls themselves Joker? I scratched the back of my head and looked around for a trail to follow. These glasses made it much easier for me to see. Maybe when I fell, I hit something and it made my vision suck? Does that even make sense? I bit my lower lip as I spotted a gap between two trees and waddled my way over, still struggling in the new shoes. All I have to do now is make it through this forest and hopefully I'll find this Castle of Spades. Or better yet, I'll wake the bloody hell up and be back to my normal life.

As I walked along the path, the warm feeling returned to my shoulder as though it was guiding me through the forest. When the feeling would disappear, I would retrace my steps until it came back and I'd turn a different way. With everything that's happened so far, this is probably the least strange. So why not go with it? I managed to make it pretty far doing so, that is, until the path got more rugged. The path was covered in rocks and branches, making it difficult to maneuver. As I walked, my foot got stuck on a tree root that was sticking out of the ground and I fell over.

I moaned in pain as the warm feeling evaporated from my shoulder. Mother, why am I having such bad luck? I slowly sat up and looked around for my glasses, which couldn't have fallen that far off. "Hey, are you lookin' for these?" A man's voice sounded from behind me and I turned around to face him, furrowing my brows and squinting. The man had blonde hair, a cowlick that defied gravity, and a straight out of Hollywood smile. He kneeled down so we were at eye level and handed me my glasses. I nodded and placed them back on my face.

They man didn't look much younger than me. If I had to guess, he looked about eighteen or nineteen. He scratched the back of his head, continuing to smile. "That was quite the fall you took, are you alright miss?" He asked me, and I slightly grimaced. Did I really look like a girl? Damn it all to bloody hell. I cleared my throat and tried to speak at a higher pitch, "Yes, I'm fine. Thank you for getting my glasses for me." God that was bloody horrible. I forced a smile and watched his face carefully as he spoke. "I see! Well, it's a good thing that I was here then, right? A Hero must always help a damsel in distress!" The man chuckled to himself and I resisted the urge to smack my hand against my head.

I want to go home, curl up in my bed, and die. At least this git can't tell I'm not a girl. I forced a smile and thanked him yet again as he stood up and helped me up as well. "So, I'm not about to abandon you out here. Where ya headin'? I'll drop you off." The man stared at me questioningly and I paused in thought. "You see, I need to go to the Castle of Spades. Do you know where that is?" The man nodded and pointed down the path. "We just go down here and it's only a couple a' hours away!" He then picked me up bridal style and walked down the path.

I folded my arms against my chest and huffed, "Is it really necessary that you carry me all the way there?" The man nodded, "I don't want you falling again." He closed his eyes, and hummed a bit. "What's your name, anyways?" I raised a brow as he pondered for a few minutes. Figures the git doesn't know his name. "You can just call me Al, 'kay?" Al, I guess, smiled at me, "So what's your name?" I blinked a couple of times at him, damnit I'm a hypocrite. I can't just bloody say Arthur, now can I? Now to think of a good girl's name.

As names flew into my head, I nearly shouted the first one that made sense. "A-Alice! M-My name is Alice. It's a pleasure to meet you, Al." I forced what felt like a serial killer smile and he looked at me like I was crazy for a few seconds. He nodded and the smile slowly returned to his face. "So what brings ya' here, Alice?" Why does he have to ask the hardest of questions? Now how can I answer this without sounding crazy? I twirled my thumbs around and bit my lower lip. I slowly explained to him my current situation, leaving out a few details like the Joker, the warm spot, and the fact I'm actually a man from London.

Al stopped in his tracks and slowly lowered me to the ground when I finished. He then stood in front of me and placed both of his hands on my shoulders, smirking. "I'll help ya the best that I can, Alice. But, I can't promise that you'll actually see the Prince." I furrowed my brows and tilted my head slightly. "Why wouldn't I see the Prince? I was hoping I'd be able to give it to him directly." I asked and Al was restraining a laugh. He adjusted his glasses and grabbed my hand. "No one has ever seen the Prince." we began walking and Al continued to talk. "The King thought it would be best that no one saw his son until he himself was ready to lead the Kingdom."

As Al continued to talk, I slowly tuned him out. All I could think of was a little boy locked away in a tower, searching for his beloved pocket watch. The pocket watch might have been the only thing the boy ever owned and cared about, and now a cross-dressing alien from another world had it in his possession. A frown inched its way onto my face and Al shook my hand, giving it a light squeeze. "Ali? Ali, can you hear me? Dude, are you alright?" I snapped my head up and nodded, "I'm fine, I'm sorry." I slightly chuckled, but his face still showed that he was worried.

That's when I noticed his eyes. Now, don't think I'm going to gush about how they were the same color as the sky above me. The pupils were what brought my attention to them. They were oddly shaped like Spades. Now, that can't be normal. Maybe he's some lab experiment went wrong and set loose on the public to raise hell on this 'Kingdom'. I sighed, I thought I finally found someone normal, but I was wrong, as usual. Al raised his eyebrow and we continued to walk down the path.

We continued to walk in silence until we finally spotted the city and what looked like a castle. Al pointed towards it, "Your Prince is actually in that castle right there." He glanced down at me, beaming. "I see, so does that mean we're parting our ways now?" I looked up at him, biting my lower lip. Al scratched the back of his head and stopped in his tracks. "I guess that would be best, huh?" I stopped a couple of steps ahead of him and slowly nodded. "I wouldn't want you to get in trouble if I were to be taken prisoner for being in possession of the bloody pocket watch." I paused for a second, my face flushing from embarrassment. "Not because I care though, I just don't want to share a cell if that were to happen!"

Al chuckled, "Yeah, that wouldn't be good. Well, if ya' make it out of there alive, I want to see you again." He looked at me, a smile tugging at his lips. I stared at him rather blankly and he widened his eyes. "Dude, not like that! Like, I want to know what the castle is like and stuff! I've heard it's pretty cool. I wouldn't ask a chick out after knowin' her for a couple of hours." Al made a cross motion with his arms and I couldn't help but laugh. "I get it, I get it. If I make it out alive, I'll meet you back here?" I choked out between laughs and he nodded.

We said our goodbyes and he disappeared into the forest. I hope I didn't offend Al by laughing. Poor guy, hopefully he'll catch on sooner or later. I spun around on my heels and started walking towards the castle. The closer I got, the larger it appeared. Flags waved down graciously from the castle, all of them varying with different symbols and colors, but the main two that met in the middle were a dark blue with the spades symbol. I wonder what the city is like. I wonder if it would be all old fashioned or it will actually be modern.

Knowing this strange place though, it won't be like anything I've seen or heard of. I grimaced and played with the extensions that were in my hair. The guards that stood at the city entrance nodded at me, and I returned the gesture and continued walking. The city looked like a bloody blue bomb exploded it the middle of it. Every building was painted the same dark blue with black trim. It was quite boring and I felt like I was clashing with the world around me. Stupid Joker couldn't even give me a dress that matched. Everyone I walked by looked at me as though I were an alien, whispering to their neighbor or muttering words as I walked by.

This was completely different from London. Someone could be running down the streets on fire, and no one would think twice about it. But here, if a boy wearing a light blue dress walked down the street, the entire world was paying attention. I bit my lower lip and shoved my hands into my apron pockets, clutching the pocket watch. I only have a little bit more to go then I could go back to London and everything will be fine. I lowered my head and watched my feet to make sure I wouldn't step on anything and fall again. I carefully walked up the steps to the castle and lifted my head slowly to look at the guards who were stood in front of the castle doors. They were both holding spears that crossed in front of the entrance to make sure no one could just waltz inside.

The first guard lowered his spear just an inch and examined me carefully. "You, state why you're here." The guard commanded. I gulped as I glanced from the guards to the spears. Why did they have to be so bloody intimidating? The warm feeling on my shoulder came back causing me to shiver and the guard quickly pointed the spear at me. "What is your business here?" He demanded, glaring down at me and I literally felt myself shrink. "I-I'm the new maid!" I threw my hands in the air as if I were surrendering. I just shivered, god forbid I bleeding coughed.

The guard quirked his brow and looked at the other guard, who shrugged. "They got another maid? Why didn't the King tell us?" The guards both lowered the spears and I shrugged. "I actually start tomorrow, but I thought I'd drop by early and get a head start." I smiled nervously and the two opened the castle doors for me. Both were still looking at me questioningly as I thanked them and walked inside. The moment both my feet were in, the doors slammed behind me and I was finally inside the Castle of Spades. I smiled to myself and adjusted my glasses, "Damn, I'm good."

I looked around the castle, taking in the surroundings. The castle was much different from the outside. The flooring was a black and white checker that twisted into a spade that sat in the center. I walked towards the spade until I heard crashing coming from the second floor. I looked around to see a two people running down the spiral staircase. One of which, was holding what looked like a wok. "Get back here you stupid Joker, aru!" the man with the wok shouted at the other person, who jumped onto the railing and began sliding down.

Once the other reached the bottom of the railing, he darted off towards the door. He gave a slight wave at me and that's when I noticed it was the little boy that I met in London. What the hell was he doing here? I turned around and watched him run out the door as the other man slowly walked next to me, panting. "Why didn't you stop him, aru?" The man coughed and looked up at me, slightly glaring. That face, he looked just like the Chinese man from the shop. The one who sold me the cards! I jumped back and the man quirked a brow.

I pointed at him, "Y-You! T-The bleeding hell are you doing here?" He tilted his head slightly and furrowed his brows together. "I should be asking you that. I don't remember hiring a new maid." He crossed his arms and looked me up and down. Again, my eyebrows caught his eye, and it was almost like a light bulb went off in his head. "You're eyebrows, aru! Why are you wearing _that_?"

I scratched the top of my head and laughed a bit. "You see, some idiot named the Joker stole my clothes and put me in this. So I'm just going along with it, don't tell anyone." I raised a finger over my mouth and he rolled his eyes. "If the king finds out that a bush-browed freak followed me here, he'll have my head, aru." He folded his arms across his chest and let out an exasperated sigh. I rolled my eyes; at least I wasn't the one that sounded like a bloody dog. "I didn't exactly follow you; I listened to a boy that came to me on the streets." I reached into my apron pocket and pulled out the pocket watch. "He gave me this and I'm supposed to return it to the Prince of Spades."

The man walked over and snatched the pocket watch from me, examining it. He mumbled to himself then lifted his head up to look at me. "I can't let you return this to him directly, but your efforts are appreciated aru." He patted my shoulder and I glared. "I did not come all this way to just be shooed off." I crossed my arms and tapped my foot. Bloody hell, I'm from another _world_ and I came all this way to give back a pocket watch and hopefully get some bloody decent treatment for once. I did not want to be shooed off from this like I am from everything else.

The man started towards the stairs and I gave chase. "Following me won't make me help you, aru." He growled and I stood still on the first step. "I'll see what I can do, but I won't promise you anything aru." He continued to walk up the stairs, grimacing. I smirked and thanked him. As I started walking towards the door, he leaned over the rails and slightly yelled across the room. "What's your name, aru? I'll need it for when I speak to the king about hiring another maid." I spun on my heels, "Tell him Alice Kirkland, but the name is Arthur." I waved to him and he smirked. "Arthur, aru? I'm the Jack of Spades, Yao." He titled his hat then waved back at me.

I walked out of the castle and waved bye to the guards that I passed. The sun was beginning to set and I needed to find a new place to stay. I sighed and watched as the lights turned off in the houses I passed. I stopped outside the gates to the city and leaned against the wall. Maybe the forest won't be that bad, since I highly doubt the guards will let me sleep on the streets. I heard someone yelling in the distance and I slightly picked my head up to see Al running towards me. "Hey, Ali! How'd it go at the castle?" He came to stop in front of me and smiled. A smile tugged at my lips and I shrugged.

Al huffed, "Fine, don't tell me how amazingly awesome the castle was." He pouted a bit and I let out a rather loud laugh. "I'll tell you if you find me a place to sleep?" I raised a brow and he extended his hand towards me. "Offer accepted, the Hero shall find you a place to stay!" I took his hand in my own and I began telling him every little detail about the castle and The Jack I met inside. The entire time, Al beamed with excitement and happiness. I think if things stay like this, I can cope with having to pretend I'm a girl. Even if it's just around him.

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><p><em><strong>Okay, so, I added a bit more because I felt like I didn't explain much. xD So I took advantage of Fanfiction being cruel to us and not letting us receive notifications and spruced it up a bit. Again, thank you all for reading this and please review! I'd love to hear your feedback. ;3;<strong>_

_** w; I hope you all had as much fun reading this as I did writing it! I love you all, ciao!**_


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